Mitsunobu Tanaka, Ph.D, a.k.a KODAWARISAN has posted a picture of a special MacBook he calls “MacBook Ichimatsu.” He combined the keytops from the keyboards of black and white MacBooks and created a cool checkerboard effect. Reminds me of my Vans sneakers from the 80s (which I recently re-purchased, btw 🙂

As one of my early blogs recorded, I enjoy using Apple’s Mighty Mouse. So far, the three in my possession have worked faultlessly, but it would seem that some people find the scroll-ball gets clogged with gunk.
Apple’s Web site has basic cleaning instructions, including a video tutorial. However one Mighty Mouse owner has taken more drastic measures, which he has published as a step-by-step photo guide.
Warning: this is not one for the faint-hearted, or the fumble-fingered!
Contributed by: Brett Jordan.

There are functional iPod cases and there are cool looking high-design models, but usually you have to choose one or the other. The MicroFolio case from XtremeMac is the exception.
The MicroFolio (US$39.95) is a folio-style case that wraps your iPod in soft leather in either black, brown (pictured), dark brown or saddle with a unique textured interior. It’s basically an iPod wallet with a soft interior to protect your iPod.
The MicroFolio also features interior pockets for your ID, credit card and a few bucks. When you flip open the flap, you can easily operate the clickwheel through the protective membrane. The screen is also covered to protect it from scratching.Best of all there’s no dorky belt clip or Batman-like holster to ugly up the MicroFolio. It looks like it could just as easily have a tag from Diesel attached to it and matches this year’s washed and worn leather style. The accented stitching adds a nice touch without being distracting.
If you’re looking for an iPod case that’s all about style, this is it. The MicroFolio fits both the 30 and 60GB iPod with video and is shipping now from XtremeMac.

On the surface, the idea sounds great: replace bits of Mac OS X that date back to 1985 with today’s Linux: the buzzword compliant, speedy, standardized tech darling of the moment.
There are three problems however:
1. A kernel replacement would be extraordinarily difficult, time consuming, and a major investment of development resources for Apple. This is simply overlooked anytime the myth is retold, but it factors strongly against the idea.
2. Reasons for wanting do this are based on faulty information. I’ll show why.
3. Reasons for not moving to Linux are clear and substantial. I’ll give examples.
Read more at RoughlyDrafted…
Contributed by: Daniel Eran

Readers of The Apple Core remember the recent issue about the amount of thermal grease (or paste) that Apple applies to the chips in the MacBook Pro. There’s pretty decent evidence that over-application of the paste is causing MacBook Pros to run hotter than they should. It appears that the same may be true for the MacBook.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

If you’ve been wondering what to do with the Sudden Motion Sensor in your new MacBook Pro, check out MacSaber, a new application that lets you use your expensive Mac hardware as a light saber, like the ones in Star Wars. Once installed your MacBook makes sounds like the famous Star Wars weapon as you wave it through the air. Very cool

Now that you’ve spent entirely too much money on your fancy sudden motion sensor equipped Mac laptop, I predict you’ll soon be swinging it around like a loon. Introducing MacSaber 1.0 Beta. Using your Mac’s sudden motion sensor, this software turns your computer into a Jedi weapon almost worthy of taking on the real thing by making authentic lightsaber sound effects. It senses speed for the lightsaber movement sounds and acceleration for different levels of striking sounds.

Apple posted a knowledge base article (Article ID: 303782) explaining how Final Cut Studio is not supported on the MacBook:

If you have a MacBook, the Final Cut Studio (Universal) crossgrade Installer does not prohibit you from installing the pro applications, but this configuration does not meet the minimum system requirements for Final Cut Studio.

Note: The integrated graphics processor in the MacBook does not permit float processing in Motion and will result in degraded performance and other issues in Motion and other Final Cut Studio applications.

The iBook started life as a schoolBook with a very K thru 12 look. The large durable color toilet seat enclosure and small screen made this machine unappealing even for higher education, let alone business users. The second rectangular form factor for iBooks had a much more universal appeal. The size of the 12 inch model seemed just right and there was not nearly as much of a weight and size penalty vs. a PowerBook. The upgrade to G4 boosted performance without changing the packaging very much. The new MacBook broadens the appeal considerably in terms of performance and features. Read on……..